Fence



(No Model.)

E. M00. OORPENING.

FENCE.

Patented Oct. 5, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFETCE.

EIHVARD MeCULlC CORPENING, OF BRIDGEPORT, \VEST "lRGlNl'A.

FENCE.

SIECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,119, dated October5,1886.

Application filed May 26,1886.

To all 10710772, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD Mt Como GonrENrNc, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Harrison and State ofest Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fences, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in portable fences; and it consistsof the peculiar combination and novel construction and arrangement ofthe various parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully setforth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my present invention is to provide a novel fence which.can be easily and readily taken apart without damage to its severalparts, so that it can be compactly and snugly folded for storage ortransportation, and as quickly and readily put together or constructedby an unskilled person; to provide novel means for connecting the upperends of the suspending stakes ortripod, which will permit the stakes orlegs of the tripod to be readily detached, and which will firmly andrigidly conncctthe said legs together when they are adjusted for use; toprovide novel means for connecting and suspending the ends ofthc fencerails or panels, which shall prevent them from movement and therebybecoming displaced, and, finally, to improve the fence in minor details,so that it will be very simple, strong,and durable in construction, andcheap and inexpensive of maiuifacture.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a portable fenceembodying my invention, Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a.vertical sectional view on the line a: ofFig. 'I. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of another form offence embodying my invention, in which therails or planks are lapped at their sides. Fig. -l-is averticalsectional view, corres onding to Fig. 2, of the device shown in Fig. 3;and Fig. Sis an enlarged perspective view of the connecting device orunion for the upper ends of the stakes that form the tripod.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters ofreference denotecorresponding partsin all the figures, A, l and (J designate the stakesor uprights, which are arranged at an angle to each other to form atripod, D, which serves to suspend the rails or panels E and the devicesfor supporting the same, all as pres- Serial No. 2033M. (Yo model.)

ently described in detail. The upper andlower ends of the stakes or legsof the tripod D are reduced or tapered, the lower ends of the &

said legs being sharpened, so that they will easily and readilypenetrate or enter the ground under the weight of the fence-panels, andthe upper ends being only slightly reduced to re ceive the rings orloops of a connecting device or union, which is shown in detail in Fig.5. This union F is formed of a single piece o'fwirc, which is first bentoreurvcd to form a loop or ring, then auothcrloop or ring, it, which isarranged to one side of the loop 9, and is of substantially the samesize as the loop g, and finally the wire is bent to form a third loop,i, which touches the peripheries of the two loops 9 and It, and isarranged to one side thereof, the wires crossing or intersecting eachother at the points j, so as to provide means for suspending a loop forthe fence rails or panels, as presently described. Al ter the threeloops g, 71, andi of the union have been formed from the single piece ofwire the free ends thereof are twisted or united together, as shown, andtheunion may be made at the time of building or constructing the fence,or it: may be made before the fence is built bymeans of suitableformers, over which the wire is passed, and it can then be galvanized toprotect it from the action oftheweathcr and increase its durability, sothat it can be used a great number of times and will last for a longerperiod than if made of the wire alone without galvanizing. Vhen thestakes or legs of the tripod are properly adjusted, the rings or loopsof the union :tit over the reduced upper ends of the same to securelyconnect the stakes together, and this union is applied to the firststake when. it is fitted in the ground during the process of buildingthe fence, and the remaining two stakes are successively fitted in theirproper loops, the upper reduced ends of the stakes overlapping orprojecting past each other to brace and increase the strength of thetripod at its up er end.

I preferably employ four rails or panels, E, of

the fence, although the number can be varied without departing from theprinciple of my invention 5 and I will proceed to describe the method bywhich the rails are suspended and arranged herein are numbered from 1 to4, inclusive, as

The rails in the "fence-panel shown shown in the first section of thefence, and from 5 to 8, inclusive, in the second section of the fence,and so on throughout the series of sections. The uppermost or top rail,Z, of the first section of the fence is suspended from the tripod bymeans of a loop, G, which passes through the union at the points ofintersection of the loops marked j, and depends therefrom for a suitabledistance to receive and support one end of the panel Z of the fence. Theend of the rail numbered 2, at the same end of the section, is suspendedfrom the rail 1 by means of a link, H, which encompasses the ends of thepanels land 2.

The end of the panel 3, at the same end of the section, is suspendedfrom the rail or panel 2 in like manner by a link, I, and the same endof the panel. 4 is also suspended from the rail'or panel 3 by a link, J.These links are all of suitable length to hold the rails or panels at asuitable distance apart, preferably equidistant from each other, and theloops intermediate of the ends of the panels prevent them from movigigvertically, and thereby becoming displaced. The opposite ends of thepanels at the tripod of the second section of the fence are suspended inlike manner by the loops G, H, I, and J, and the end of the panel 5adjacent to the panels 1 and 2, is fitted or inserted between the endsof said panelsl and 2, and overlaps thelatter. The end of the panel 6fits between and overlaps the pancls2 and 3. The ends of the panel 7overlaps the ends of panels 3 and 4, and the end of panel 8 fits beneathand underlaps the lower panel, 4, all as readily seen by reference toFigs. 1 and'2 of the drawings. It will thus be seen that the adjacent oradjoining ends of the panels of two sections of the fence are suspendedin a series of loops which are common to the lapped ends of the panelsofthe said fencesections, and by means of this peculiar construction andarrangement of the several parts the fence is rendered very simple andcheap to manufacture, and can be rapidly constructed by an unskilledperson.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings I hai e shown a fence in which a seriesof boards are substituted for the rails to form'the panels, and themeeting ends of the two adjacent sections of the fence are side-lappedinstead of over and under lapping the boards, as in Figs. 1 and 2, therelative construction and arrangement of the other parts of the fencebeing substantially the same; therefore I do not deem it necessary tospecifically herein describe the fence shown in the said Figs. 3 and 4.

In building the fence two adjacent tripods are so arranged that the legs0 thereof are on opposite sides of the fence and in contact with ventany swaying or swinging movement of the panels under the force thereonof the wind or from other causes and as a further precaution to preventswaying of the panel the bottom rails, 4 8, &c., of the fence-sectionsmay be anchored to suitable stakes or other objects in the ground bymeans of wires or loops L, or they may be connected to the legs orstakes of the tripod by similar wires, as will be readily understood.

The operation and method of constructing and removing a fence embodyingmy invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description,taken in connection with the drawings.

My improved fence is very simple, strong,

and durable in construction, can be rapidly constructed and taken apart,and used for any number of times without damage to its several parts,can be easily repaired when broken, or the destroyed parts replaced, andis very cheap of manufacture.

By bending and twisting the ends of the several suspending-loops G H, &cthey can be tightened to increase the strain with which they bear on therails of the fence.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a portable fence, the combination of a tripod comprising thediagonal stakes overlapping each other at their upper ends, a unionformed of :a single piece of wire and having the separate ringsv orloops which are fitted over the stakes, the fence-panels, and a loopconnected with the union and the fencepanels for suspending the latterfrom thetripod, substantially asdeseribed. V

2. In a portable fence, the combination of a tripod, a union formed of asingle piece of wire and connecting the legs of the tripod, the lappedrails or panels, the loop connected with the union and upper panel, andthe loops intermediate of the upper panel and the lower panels, one ofthe legs of two adjacent tripods being arranged on opposite sides of andin contact with the rails or panels, all arranged and combinedsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

J OHN J. MoMANAwAY, P. M. ROBINSON.

